Gospel: Feast of the Sto. Niño

Today marks the Feast of the Sto. Niño in the Philippines, an icon of Jesus Christ as a Holy Child, and the Gospel reading for the unique celebration will be lifted from the account of St Luke (2:41-52).

Each year, Jesus parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they have completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking the he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. 

After three days they found him in the Temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions. And all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety." And he said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he said to them.

He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.

The Señor Santo Niño de Cebu is a Roman Catholic title of the Child Jesus associated with a religious image of the Holy Child widely venerated as miraculous by Filipino Catholics. It is the oldest Christian artifact in the Philippines, originally a gift from Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan to Rajah Humabon and his chief consort on account of the Christian baptism in 1521.

The dark wood statue measures approximately twelve inches tall, and carved in the Flemish style. It depicts the Child Jesus, with a serene countenance, in the attitude and dress of a Spanish monarch. The statue bears imperial regalia, including a golden crown, globus cruciger, and various sceptre, wears fine vestments, and possesses jewelry mostly offered by devotees over several centuries.

Pope Paul VI granted a decree of Canonical Coronation "Aurora Praenuntia Felicis Successus" dated March 25, 1965 that was granted to Cardinal Ildebrando Antoniutti which was executed on April 28, 1965. The same Pontiff later raised its shrine to the status of Minor Basilica on May 2, 1965 via his papal bull "Cubanula Regionis" to mark the fourth centenary of Christianity in the Philippine islands.

The image is replicated in various parts of the country with different titles and is one of the most beloved and recognizable Filipino cultural icon. The annual dancing feast of Sinulog is held on January 16 every year in its honor. Today, the original image is permanently encased behind bulletproof glass inside its chapel within the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño.

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